


Diamonds

by KaguyaLadyofDeath



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Also there is an OC, Gen, Maybe - Freeform, More of a comfort thing?, Oops, White Diamond kinda isn't crazy here?, alternative universe, idk - Freeform, just a small thing I cooked up, maybe i'll explain Hope Golden and Paragon, there's a lot of Diamonds, try to guess which one's the OC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-07-05 10:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15861402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaguyaLadyofDeath/pseuds/KaguyaLadyofDeath
Summary: Steven Universe AU.What if Steven couldn't just communicate with Lapis and Jasper while sleeping? What if he managed to connect to two others? What would happen with his life after said communication?Find out here.





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> So, this thing was just cooked up for a few days. Originally, I began writing this AFTER White Diamond's reveal, but I always had this crazy idea of more than four Diamonds out there. So... that kinda also played into this? I kinda like how it ended up, but I understand if you think White Diamond is a bit OOC. She is. Like... a lot. But, it fits with what's happening. So, hope you enjoy this, and if you want more, just, uh, comment it.  
> Well, see you next time!
> 
> Edit: Just a little warning; this is a ONESHOT for now. I may add to it.

The night was cold. The stars were almost completely covered by dark clouds, which only parted a slight bit to allow the moon’s beams to descend to the ground for a few precious seconds. And although it was cold; there was little snow or hail to understand why. But, as the animals and humans were resting; three beings were not. These particular beings had humanoid appearances; but it was obvious they were not anything native to the planet. One of them was tall, with hair a dark colour and styled in a square. She appeared to wear a full bodysuit that had a large amaranth star with a pink outline to it. Below that, her stockings were a vivid blue-violet on the right and her left was an orchid colour. She has large shades covering her eyes as well. Strangely enough, her skin colour was cerise. She was commonly called Garnet, and had two gemstones of the her namesake embedded on her left and right hand.  
Laying on the couch, near Garnet, was a lilac coloured, short girl. She was noticeably shorter than Garnet, about half her size. The lilac girl had long, thick and messy pale lavender hair that easily hung off the couch, although there was a bang that covered her left eye. Her eyes were dark indigo, but closed off at the moment. She had plump lips and a small and upturned nose. A purple amethyst rested on her chest, although half of it was covered by her white shirt. She had black pants with star shaped holes cut out where her knees would be, and mauve boots. She was simply called “Amethyst”.  
The last being, a tall but slender woman, was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. She had ivory skin, the closest to a human-like skin colour, sky-blue eyes, a strangely pointed nose and thin lips. Her hair is a peach colour, and resembles a pixie-cut in the front but ends in a point at the back. She wears a aqua blue tunic with a small golden star on the center of her chest, and a lighter coloured satin sash ribbon tied around her waist. Her leggings are amber colored, but end in the middle of her thighs. She wears pink socks, that come to the middle of her calves, and pale blue lip-on ballet flats. She had a pearl embedded on her forehead. She was called Pearl.  
The only one sleeping, was a young chubby boy with black hair that curled around his face. His black eyes were closed, and his deep breathing assured the beings - the Crystal Gems - that he was fine. But, in his dreamscape; where the Gem’s couldn’t go, Steven was seated down on a pale purple rug, two large, but non-threatening, shadows directly in front of him. Their features were obscured; and Steven could never remember the exact voices they used, and never remembered anything other than their outlines. He had, in secret, been communicating with the shadowed figures for about a year, just after accidentally finding Lapis Lazuli while she was fused with Jasper as the monstrous Malachite.  
But, unlike that time, the beings in front of him were completely relaxed, and often helped him wind down after a long day with the Crystal Gems, always being kind and helping him sort out everything he was going through. And although he never asked their names - they tensed whenever the Crystal Gems popped up in the conversation - Steven didn’t push for them to explain themselves. When they were ready; they would talk. He knew that they were hiding things from him, and although it hurt, he didn’t know the circumstances. So, he tried to keep that in mind, but it was difficult. And they knew it. They knew that it was difficult; so they began explaining things to him. Things that the Crystal Gems couldn’t - or wouldn’t - explain.  
They rarely had no answers for his questions, and Steven learned to ask any question he wanted. It… was refreshing. Being ‘allowed’ to ask about Homeworld and it’s Gems. And, although the beings tensed and went quiet, they still answered him. So, bonus. He had asked things about how Homeworld ran, and the one of the left; the one who normally sat leaned to her (?) right, would answer on everything, from the courts to the luxury suites. They even spoke about the different Gems and what their jobs where. But, Steven was surprised and interested upon learning that every type of Gem - even the Diamonds - had roles they were meant to be playing. He found it stupid and saddening - greatly shocking his visitors - and tried to cheer them up.  
He could always tell they were uncomfortable though; and he knew the only way to stop Homeworld was to destroy the system; even if he went against the Diamonds - the most ‘powerful’ of Gems - they would only be replaced. In actuality, his friends told him that. And, well, he had no reason to doubt any of their words. They hadn’t lied to him, even if they kept secrets from him. He just wished that they would be comfortable enough to be able to trust him as much as he trusted them.  
“Oh, sweetheart, we do.” The right one answered, her voice slow and quiet.  
“I… I didn’t mean it like - well, I uh…” Steven stumbled over his words, trying to come up with an explanation.  
“Of course we trust you. If we didn’t; we wouldn’t be speaking, now would we?” The other one spoke as quietly as the first one. He couldn’t see, but he was positive that she was giving him a smile.  
“W-Well, I…” He gave a small smile; “I know. I know that you trust me, but I can’t help but think differently, you know? You never let me remember what you look like, what you sound like, even your names; if you’ve even told me.”  
“Oh, little star…” they sounded almost disappointed. “It’s not that we want to. But, we can’t risk you getting hurt. If anyone found out that you can communicate to us… you would be in more danger then you are. We just want to keep you as safe as possible.”  
“What?”  
A smile. He wasn’t sure if there was any emotion behind it, and they were fading - fast.  
“We’ll see you again, little one.”  
Steven woke with the words; “Is that a promise?” on his lips. Thankfully, he didn’t utter them, but he was sure that the beings he visits would know about it. They always seemed to know things about his day, helping him understand things he normally wouldn’t. He couldn’t wait until he could talk to Connie about them. It had been too long since he told her about his visits. He always liked to hear what she has to say about their conversations. But it was a pity that she couldn’t see them.  
His smile, ‘when had that happened?’ He thinks faintly, fades slowly at the reminder that Connie wasn’t like him. She couldn’t see them in her dreams; and Steven was pretty damn sure that the beings were Gems. Not unusual, he’s communicated to Gems through different ways. Although he had no clue as to what type of Gem they were, it didn’t matter. Chances are, they would do everything in their power to not allow anyone to know of the connection he had to them. The least he could do is not spread around what’s happening in his dreams. If they thought that he was truly in danger by talking to them, they must be someone important. And, honestly? That was terrifying. Not to mention, how would he even begin to explain what was going on? He had no clue who they were, he didn’t even have any defining features to go off! It’s just better if he didn’t speak about it.  
~  
It wasn’t until later that month; after the entire drama with Malachite, and seeing Alexandrite fighting her, that Steven slowly realised that he was able to see his visitors a little more clearly. And, to his alarm, something was wrong with them. He even forgot about telling them about the Cluster! But, he couldn’t figure out what was going on. Why were they allowing him to be able to identify them?  
“Oh, hello, little star…” the one the right said, and Steven could clearly see that she was a blinding _white_.  
“Ah…” Steven uttered, shocked speechless and utterly confused. He could just make out a gem on her forehead, but she seemed to cover up just what her gem looked like, thanks to the glare.  
“Steven.” The other simply said, and Steven could see that she was an almost shifting purple. “I suppose you have questions?”  
“What… what type of Gem are you?” Slipped from Steven’s lips, before he could control himself. Instead of the expected silence, laughter rang around, playful and twinkling. Steven’s eyes widened at the sound, shocked and awed that he managed that. He had the feeling that they didn’t laugh often, but he made it his mission to make them laugh every time they visited. And although this wasn’t the first time he heard the laughs, he could never get over the feelings that they inspired.  
“Oh, little star… you’re a little curious one, aren’t you?” Now that he really thinks about it, the white one never called him by his name, only by his nickname. He didn’t even know how she got that. He doubt he would either.  
“But that’s fine. Curiosity isn’t bad.” The purple one gave him a smile, and Steven appreciated the fact that he could see that it was filled with warmth and happiness.  
“So…” Steven rocked on his feet, eager and hoping that they’d answer his question. It wasn’t as if they’d truly get mad at him, right? They never had before. He thinks.  
“Hmm. What types of Gems do you know about?” they asked, and Steven lit up.  
“Ooh. I know about Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl! Oh, oh, and Peridot! And Lapis! And, well, Jasper…. but she doesn’t exactly like me… and Ruby! I met an entire squad of them! Oh! And Sapphire!” Steven excitedly told them, taking note of their shocked expressions.  
“That… certainly is a diverse amount of Gems you know about, Steven.” They almost seemed embarrassed, and then Steven sunk, remembering something.  
“I also know about a Diamond. Yellow Diamond.” He almost muttered, but he knew they heard. They tensed, and he didn’t know what to think.  
“Oh that silly....” the white one held her head, hiding her eyes from Steven.  
“Is she the only one you know of?” Steven nodded at the question, then hesitated. “W-Well… the only one I kinda met? I know there’s, like, three others.”  
“Oh?” Steven gulped, seeing that they were interested.  
“Yeah. Um, I went to the moon base… and there were, um, pictures there. Of… of four different, I think, Diamonds. There was Yellow Diamond… and a pink, blue and white one too.” Steven found his sandals to be mighty interesting, staring at them as if they would become ruined. But, a soft and warm hand, barely bigger than Garnet’s, lifted his chin, and he almost stepped back, seeing the purple one had shapeshifted to be closer to his size. She was smiling softly, and Steven had a sinking feeling in his gut. He slowly realised that something about his visitors, but strangely, he didn’t feel as if he was in any danger.  
“So, you saw the murals of the four Diamonds? What did you think of them?”  
“So… they were Diamonds?”  
Their eyes opened, and Steven’s breath caught in his throat.  
“Yes.”  
“O-Oh…” Steven’s throat felt like it was tightening, and a faint feeling of panic began to settle in his gut; churning and hardening into something impossible to keep down. “I, uh, guess that… something happened?”  
“I suppose so.” Their casualness was unsettling, and Steven didn’t understand why he was feeling this way. They were his friends, right? They wouldn’t hurt him, wouldn’t even let him see them in order to protect him! So… why was he feeling like this now? Why was he feeling so much dread? So much fear?  
Why was he able to see them clearly?  
“Is… is something wrong?” He asked, voice almost a whisper, as if his throat couldn’t hold anything louder.  
“Maybe. We’re not sure.”  
“W-Why?”  
A blink of… stunning eyes. “It’s nothing.” They moved away from him, almost as if they sensed his unease. As they moved further, Steven wasn’t surprised to feel disappointment fill his insides. But, he was surprised at the urge to grab hold of them and never let go. And how strong that urge was. He almost wanted to contemplate what it meant, but he had more pressing thoughts.  
“Perhaps it is time for you to go. I’m sure that you’ll find that you’ve overslept.” Steven’s eyes widened, and he looked at them with longing.  
“B-But…”  
“No buts, little star. It’s not nice to keep your family waiting.”  
“But what about you two?”  
Their eyes widened, and Steven could clearly see the shock coming from the irises. “What do you mean?”  
“I’ll be making you wait!”  
Laughter. “Oh silly… we’ll be fine.” A frown when they saw Steven’s worried face.  
“Steven…”  
Silence. A look between immortal beings. Steven’s spine straightened in surprise, feeling two bodies holding him in the middle. He quickly loosened, snuggling into their hold.  
“Oh, little star. We don’t mind waiting.”  
“Not like we have much better to do.”  
Two pairs of eyes turned to him, and he smiled at the affection and love he found there. He slowly inched his arms around to the middle of their backs, holding on for dear life. “We’re not leaving.”  
“We’ll be right here when you return.”  
“We won’t leave you alone. Not on our lives.”  
Steven began trumbling, holding tighter on the faux clothes, wishing that he didn’t have to wake up. Didn’t have to leave their hold, where he didn’t have to feel all the expectations of what the Crystal Gems thought he should be. He didn’t even have to think on his confusing thoughts on his mother. It… was nice.  
“Promise?”  
A look. A, bright, beautiful smile directed at him.  
“Of course.” 

And if he happened to ignore the diamond shaped pupils? Well, no-one had to know.


	2. Beginnings part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the second part; which is more focused on the Gems we met last time. Sorry for taking a bit on this, I found that my inspiration needed a bit of a push on it. But I must admit, I kinda like how it turned out? But, anyway, onto the next part!

Everything was different here. There was no warmth, no darkness, just… nothing.  
They weren’t expecting much. So, it came as a surprise when a small bundle of _something_ came to them. He - was it a he? They couldn’t tell - came to them, naive and… perfect. It was actually quite a shock to them. For so long… for so long, they despaired that their race was lost; that they're very essence, their _innocence_ was completely gone. Then this… “Steven” came into existence, and… suddenly, their long lives weren't so bleak anymore.  
They _wanted_ to teach him, about their history, their lives and how everything came to be, damn all the political nonsense those “upper” Gems thought. It didn't matter to Homeworld, but it did matter to Steven. And, if Steven wished to know about them; about their _home_ , then they would happily comply.  
Of course, Steven was very similar to his mother, but they never knew how to even begin on that subject, with Pink faking her own shattering and taking on the form of Rose Quartz for the rest of her life… well, there was too much baggage for that. And chances were, Steven wouldn't understand most of what they would try to understand. Best keep it quiet until he asked the right questions.  
But that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t need a push in the right direction. He was a smart hybrid, he could connect the pretend dots, see the puzzle, or whatever, a lot clearer than previously thought. Honestly, the Crystal Gems were stifling him with the way he was going. The least they could do was _explain_ things to him!  
“Calm yourself. It would do no good to get angry now, sister.” Ah, her smart, little “sister”, was that what he called them? She honestly couldn’t remember.  
“I don’t understand why he called us that. We are Gems, we _have_ no family.” she replied, almost pouting.  
At her name, she looked over; seeing that the other Diamond was slouching against the “wall”. “I know. But it doesn’t make it right.” A rare look of seriousness entered her eyes, and she watched as the other straightened.  
“Of course not. That’s not going to be easily rectified, so you need to be calm. Who knows if anyone else is still out there?”  
“You think _that thing_ survived?” She asked, staring at the other with fear. “White?”  
The other Diamond bit her lip, before looking up at her, a careful facade on her face. But it didn’t matter, there were cracks that she could see.  
“There is no proof to not suggest it.” Even her voice was carefully crafted, emotionless like what Homeworld felt would be perfect for a Diamond. No emotions, only doing their jobs; it honestly made them _sick_.  
“But there is no proof of it surviving either.” She raised a perfect eyebrow.  
“There’s no proof of anything, White. We made sure of it.”  
“I know.” White whispered, staring at the ground, where Steven would stand when he would be able to talk to them. “But, that won’t make the paranoia go away. Yes, we erased everything… from _before_ , but are we positive that it’ll stay erased? You and I have seen how a similar situation went wrong.”  
“I suppose you have merit. But, our hands are tied, White. We can’t do anything at the moment.”  
A harsh laugh came from White’s throat, making her companion flinch slightly. “You can say that again, Purple.”  
“Well, I hope I never will.” she crossed her arms, staring outwards as her eyes narrowed in thought. “You know he won’t react well.”  
“Perhaps he will.”  
“He doesn’t even know about Rose Quartz.”  
“Neither did we.”  
“The Crystal Gems will fall apart.”  
“Only for a small amount of time. They’re a tight group, they’ll move past it.”  
“They’ll try to storm Homeworld.”  
“Who said they’ll be alone?”  
“Are you saying that Yellow and Blue will _help_ them?”  
“They loved Pink.”  
“So did we.”  
“And here we are. Debating is useless when we already know what we’re going to do, Purple.”  
Purple remained silent, staring right at White. “And how will my Diamonds react without me to sooth it over?” White’s eyes widened, and she stiffened. “I didn’t think of that.”  
Purple looked away; “I know.”  
“We’ll have to get Steven to buy them over.”  
“And to do that, we’ll need him to know exactly who we are.”  
“That’s too dangerous!” White immediately protested, staring right at Purple.  
“And how do you propose we do it?” Purple immediately shot back, narrowing her eyes in anger. As White deflated, Purple softened her body, sighing deeply. “I like it as much as you, but Steven’s going to need help, White. We can’t do that if we don’t trust him.”  
“That doesn’t mean we can’t try another way.” White mumbled, and Purple sighed heavily.  
“By helping him escape from Homeworld while you’re locked? You can’t even move a foot anymore, White. Don’t think I don’t know about it.” Purple muttered, slouching a bit as she thought over.  
“And what about you?” White asked, looking at her with a critical eye.  
“Oh, me? I was… uh “volunteered” to power a planet. I’m not moving much, White.”  
White let out a small “oh”, before looking away again. “We’re stuck, aren’t we?”  
“Very much so.” Purple closed her eyes, waiting until Steven came, bringing with him everything she realized she had craved. She only hoped that what they were going to do wasn’t going to destroy that kind warmth he provided. Even being shattered sounded better than that.


	3. Grounded!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being so late on this. I was trying to get it done before the 20th, but life happened. I went to Canberra for a friend's parent's birthday (so. Much. Alcohol.) But it was pretty fun. I noticed that I didn't say it before, but if you want to, you can advice me on how to get better, I won't bite.  
> So, if you have something, like a prompt, I'll try to fill it out. If it helps, PM, if not, write it in the comments! I'd love to hear whatever you could come up with. So, without further ado, here's Chapter 3!

“So… uh, grounded?” Connie asked, her face betraying her nervousness. She looked at the three - well, four if you counted Sapphire and Ruby as separate beings - Gems in front of them, who looked like they were having rather painful aneurysms.  
“ _Yes!_ ” 

~ 

It came out on a sunny afternoon. The Gems had a rare day off from hunting their corrupted companions, and wished to know how Connie and Steven were handling, well, everything. From that, they had gone into a conversation about schooling, the pros and cons, and eventually about family and the feelings they can inspire in one. And then, it got bad. All because of one line.  
“Wish Purple could hear this, she’d have some good insight on how to figure out this emotion thing for you guys.” Connie had said, almost muttering it. She hadn’t even realised she said it at that time, but Amethyst, who was sitting rather close to her, and Greg, who was on her right side, heard it clearly.  
“Who’s Purple?” They asked, confusion coating their voices. Garnet and Pearl had frozen their conversation with Steven, and while Garnet looked uncharacteristically baffled; Pearl looked _furious_. Steven was staring at her with an ‘oh crap’ face, so Connie knew that she messed up.  
“Uh… no-one?” Connie tried, but judging by Pearl’s unconvinced face, she knew that it was pointless.  
“Since when… did you know about Purple?” Pearl’s voice held serious amount of fear and anger, more than Steven could have possibly known about.  
“Uh…” Connie raked her brain for an excuse, coming up empty handed. Well, it wasn’t as if they could keep them from communing with them.  
“I see them when I fall asleep. But they’re helpful, really!” Steven spoke up, turning the Gems and Greg’s attention from Connie. He quietly gulped at their stares.  
“There’s more than Purple, isn’t there? Who else, Steven?” As if realising how negative Pearl was reacting, Steven kept his mouth shut; his eyes widening as it fully sunk. They didn’t know how Purple - and well… “White” - actually acted. And, Connie didn’t want to see what would happen if they were to meet.  
“Ah… Purple called her White.” Steven almost muttered, closing his eyes as he braced himself. As he had closed his eyes, he missed Garnet tensing up, and Pearl’s horrified face.  
“Wait… White, as in _White Diamond_?!”  
Steven flinched at Pearl’s hysterical voice, opening his eyes when he felt Garnet’s hands - the only ones with the hard Gemstones on them, so it was easy for him to know who it was - on his shoulders, almost squeezing him. “Is that true?!”  
“W-What, whose White Diamond?” Greg’s nervous voice asked, and he stared straight at the Gems with pure fear.  
“The top Diamond; she’s the leader for the Diamond Authority. She’s… not that well known.” Pearl started, before Steven butted in; “She’s shy!”  
“What?”  
Steven gulped, his own eyes widening. “She’s… awkward, but I swear that she hasn’t attempted anything! I doubt she even realises that I know she’s a Diamond!”  
“That’s too dangerous! She could be manipulating you, Steven!” Garnet’s voice was beginning to rise, and Steven felt himself shrink just a tiny bit.  
“She isn’t! She’s actually been really helpful.” Steven almost muttered, his voice quieting as he finished his second sentence, almost fearfully. He wasn’t sure how he could get the Gems to understand.  
“She’s a Diamond, Steven! They don’t care about anything apart from themselves!” Garnet’s head turned to see Bismuth; a recent addition to their ranks.  
“Mum did.” Steven whispered, staring straight at Bismuth with hurt eyes. He watched as everyone stared at her, seeing that she flinched at his words. “If Mum cared about something other than herself, couldn’t the others too? Can’t we at least try?” Steven almost begged, staring at Pearl and Garnet; hoping that they’d see what he was trying to do. Bismuth looked ready to protest, before quieting, a curious glint in her eyes.  
“T-That may be true, Steven… but White Diamond… she… she’s, well, _different_.” Pearl muttered, twisting her hands together anxiously.  
“Different? How so?” Steven asked, eyebrows furring as he tried to see it from her perspective.  
“Steven… White Diamond was alive before any of us. She’s, not exactly someone a person can easily talk to.” Pearl sighed, rubbing one of her arms.  
“... how did you get that impression?” Connie asked, coming closer to Steven, who was obviously trying to figure out what was going on. That truly couldn’t be the Diamonds he met? Could it?  
“I was Pink Diamond’s personal Pearl, Connie. I met with the Diamonds pretty often. Yellow Diamond was… a very rough Gem. Blue was… softer, but no less dangerous. And White Diamond? Well, White Diamond was cold. She was like space, in a way. Beautiful, vast… and cold. She did not care about any other apart from the Diamonds. Didn’t even bother speaking to others before Pink came along.” Pearl almost rushed her words out, and Steven stared at her in undisguised awe.  
“Wait… you met them?!” Connie straightened up, looking at Steven with wide eyes. “Did… did you know Purple?”  
“Who is Purple?!” Amethyst burst out, looking rather annoyed that her question was ignored. Everyone flinched away, apart from Steven, who sighed sadly.  
“Purple Diamond. She’s… a mystery to me, mostly. I didn’t get to meet with her much; she was always with White Diamond whenever she visited. I’m not even sure if Homeworld fully knew of her existence.” Pearl admitted, Steven staring at the couch they were sitting on.  
“They don’t.”  
“What do you mean, Stu-ball?”  
“I mean… Homeworld doesn't know about Purple Diamond. It was on purpose though; White… she didn’t want them knowing about Purple and trying to exploit her. Homeworld… isn’t exactly the kindest place, Dad. Even for Diamonds.” Steven muttered the last three words darkly.  
“Uh, Steven? W… what do you mean?” Amethyst asked, sounding a little scared.  
“I mean, Homeworld holds the image that the Diamonds are supposed to be categorized much like any other Gem. And, like other Gems, if they don’t force themselves into that mould… well, punishment wouldn’t be easy on them.” Steven explained; “Because they’re meant to be perfect and unfeeling. White’s managed it, but only because she’s been there the longest; she knows how to present herself. Yellow… Blue… even Mum couldn’t do that.”  
“How… how do you know that?” Pearl asked, staring at him with an almost fearful awe.  
“I communicate.” Steven replied, quietly. “I ask them questions, and they answer to the best of their abilities.”  
A silence erupted between them, before Garnet got up, beginning to pace just a tiny bit. “Where are they?” Steven looked up at her, confusion evident in his eyes.  
“What do you mean by that?” He asked, curious.  
“Where are White Diamond and Purple Diamond?” Garnet repeated, her voice deadly calm. Steven gulped.  
“I… I don’t know. Whenever I bring it up, they always change the subject…”  
“They didn’t let anything slip? Not even just a tiny thing…?” Pearl asked, leaning forward.  
“You’ll help us?” Connie asked, straightening herself up. Garnet froze, her face tight and almost as unfeeling as the Diamonds were meant to be.  
“I don’t like it, but we’re not letting you go alone. Stars know what’ll happen.” Garnet remained silent, resuming her pacing as Pearl spoke.  
“They aren’t that bad!”  
“To you, perhaps; but not to us.” Garnet’s voice was tight, anger and pain easily heard as she struggled to keep herself calm. Sapphire and Ruby must have been fighting about what to do.  
“So… what’s the chance that White Diamond _isn’t_ on Homeworld?” Greg asked, looking and sounding incredibly nervous. Although he now knew about Pink Diamond, he wasn’t quite as sold on her… “family”, for lack of better word.  
“I’m… unsure. We’ll have to get Steven to ask them.” The Gems - plus the humans - looked at him, and he gulped.  
“That’ll be… easy-ish?”  
~  
That night, when Steven fell asleep, he didn’t even notice when he was in front of Purple and White. His thoughts were consumed by what he needed to do, what he _wanted_ to do. The only problem was that he wasn’t sure that they would tell him anything.  
“Little star? Why are you frowning so heavily?” White’s voice was soothing, allowing Steven to gather up his courage.  
“I wanted to know if you were on Homeworld.” He quickly spat out the words, not giving himself the chance to back out. He stubbornly kept his back to them, but missed their nervous and surprised expressions.  
“I… I’m sorry?” Steven forced himself to turn around at Purple’s uncharacteristically wavering voice, and his courage fled.  
“I… they know. The Crystal Gems and Dad know that we communicate.” Steven blurted out, He didn’t know what to expect, but the way Purple practically threw herself backwards wasn’t it. Judging by White’s confused and quite frankly humorous expression; Steven could safely say that she didn’t expect that either.  
“Uh, Purple? What are you doing?”  
“Hiding.”  
“By… throwing yourself on the floor?”  
“Yes.”  
“You don’t even match the floor.”  
“I don’t care.”  
“Alright…?” White slowly turned back to look at Steven, still with the confused and humorous expression. “I’m sorry for her. She gets… strange when something unexpected happens.”  
“That’s… fine. I had sort of expected that to happen.” Steven mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.  
“Very well. What did they want?”  
“Well, at first they didn’t like the fact that we communicated… but I managed to convince them you two aren’t so bad. And, uh, they wanted to know where you guys where?”  
“Hence you asking if we were on Homeworld. Fine. White’s on her Homeworld, but I would guess that it’d be a good idea to destabilize her, they did something and she can’t move. I’m at my Homeworld, just tell Orange or Black ‘Windfall’, they’ll understand.”  
“Purple!” White snapped, whirling around to glare at her.  
“Oh, calm yourself. It was going to happen anyway.” Purple’s voice was almost bored, and Steven frowned.  
“So, uh, how am I going to go to your Homeworld, Purple?”  
“White knows the way. So, go get her to safety, then come get me. You’ll find that I’d already be destabilized, so you shouldn’t worry about me kicking your friend’s butts. And, my Diamonds shouldn’t be a problem.”  
“O...K?”  
“Might want to hurry, little star; otherwise you’ll be getting more than just two Diamonds. Maybe even eight. Oh, and say hi to Brown, would you? She’s the anxious one. Bit hard to miss, actually.”


	4. History

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This sort of explains Paragon and Golden Diamond, which I'm sure some people saw in the tags (yes, I updated them). And, uh, links back to Hope Diamond as well. Hope will be coming back as himself, but Golden Diamond and Paragon will only be featured in flashbacks, or chapters that are set in the past. Steven does not know about them. Yet.   
> I know this one is pretty short, but I didn't know exactly how to make it any longer? So, uh, sorry about that. Still, I hope you enjoy it!

It started upon a planet, overgrown with plants of unknown origin and purpose. The first one - the first _Diamond_ burst from the ground, throwing rocks and rubble all over. They had taken one look around themselves, trying their hardest to figure out what their purpose was. They had nothing; but strange codes in front of their ‘eyes’, although they didn’t know what the code was for, not until millennium later. But, at the moment; they were _alone_. They promptly decided that they liked their lifestyle.   
As the millenniums passed, the Diamond travelled around the planet, discovering their surroundings and what did what. They mentally took notes, before discovering a damaged and frankly disgusting large building that most modern Gems wouldn’t even look at. But, to the Diamond, currently unnamed apart from simply “Diamond”, it was something of magnificent imagination and wonder. But; what the found inside was anything but. Legend’s say that the information inside was so terrifying… that they destroyed even the tiniest mention of even the _planet_.   
Eventually, the Diamond found; from the information they so carefully destroyed any mention of, that the code they saw everyday… was the code to produce a new Diamond. So, after carefully going over everything, and after many failures… a second Diamond burst from the crust of the planet. And after that, more and more were created, digging deep into the planet; on purpose. The first - our Golden Diamond - decided that the planet would be the birthplace of the Diamond’s - but not their _home_. So, as they grew and developed technology… they found plans of giant flying sphere’s - spaceships.   
Upon the completion of three of these, the Diamonds - all ten of the original ones - swore _never_ to return. They wouldn’t even look at where the solar system the planet was on. And, as they left; they swore to never allow any others of their creations to know about the planet. The only problem… was that they didn’t realise that there were more Diamonds incubating in the planet, slowly combining to create a perfect Diamond that wouldn’t hatch for millennium to come. That Diamond… was called “Hope Diamond”.   
The other Diamonds, the first ones, settled on a far away planet, and began building their civilization. Upon using the same means to “birth” themselves, they realised that they’d have to branch out; using other planets as they damaged their planet too much. So, Golden Diamond - the first of a rare line of Diamonds - decided to experiment. Eventually; they found a way to allow Diamonds to still be birthed - but allow their planet to still live. Unfortunately, this way of creating Diamonds would mean that they needed to “grow”.   
By the time Hope Diamond found this civilization; it had grown into the thousands, and was growing even more. Many Diamonds mingled and spoke; but there were colours that were held in a higher regard than others. Brown, Yellow (Golden Diamond was a Yellow Diamond technically, but was still called Golden Diamond) and Black were the more common Diamonds. Pink and Blue (Hope Diamond was a Blue Diamond, technically) were rarer, but were more common than Red or Green Diamonds. There were a few Purple and White Diamonds, although those were far outnumbered by the others. One Diamond that came from that was the, by far, highly celebrated Paragon; a Diamond that had the colouring of a Yellow, Blue, Pink and White Diamond. Paragon, was one of the “parents” to Purple and White Diamond, the other being the Golden Diamond. A “parent” to a new Diamond was one that would adopt a new Diamond. So, it was a surprise, when Golden Diamond and Paragon announced to the rest of the Diamonds that they would both be adopting one Diamond each.   
Those two Diamonds ended up being Purple Diamond and White Diamond respectively. And; as Purple and White grew, they were groomed to become the next Paragon and Golden Diamond, in a way. They were given bodyguards; “a precaution, dearest Paragon”, that ended up being Yellow Diamond and Orange Diamond respectively. Eventually, they befriended Black Diamond and Blue Diamond, and were about to sort out whether any of them were going to adopt; when Hope Diamond arrived… and utterly slaughtered Golden Diamond for seemingly no reason. A grief-stricken Paragon sent her “children” away, making sure that Black, Blue, Yellow and Orange were with them, before being murdered by Hope, who swore to destroy each Diamond apart from himself. Soon enough, they were the only Diamonds left, until they created Pink and Brown. But then, Pink “shattered”, leaving them as only seven Diamonds.   
And then finding out about Steven, then finding that Pink wasn’t as shattered as first thought; looking back on it, White was positive she should have seen it coming. Pink was always a Diamond who didn’t really think ahead. As… cruel as it sounds. But that was the past, now they had Steven, and _nothing_ would ever happen to him. They’d make sure of it.


	5. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crystal Gems are lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, who can tell me who gets a cameo in here~? But seriously, sorry for the wait. This just suddenly popped into my head, and I realize that these oneshots aren't going to be in any particular order... so, uh, if anyone wants to puzzle this out, go right ahead. But, I hope you enjoy this, and maybe I'll dedicate a chapter for each of the Diamonds and how they interact with Steven. It'll be fun with the new ones! (And Hope - but that'll come later. Much later).

_“You know, if you just on the left hand side, you would have been out of there about an hour ago, right?”_  
“Oh, be quiet!”  
_“Hmph. Rude, isn’t she?”_  
“ _She _can hear you!”__

__*_ _

__The first thing about being ‘buddy-buddy’ with a pseudo Goddess, is that you have to be ready to being figuring them out. Sure, on the surface, they’re easy; but once you actually dig? You’ll find that they’re a lot more complicated than what they first present to you. Yellow is an emotionally scarred Diamond who couldn’t allow another close to her; in fear of them dying on her, and always fearful and worried for the remainder of the four she was once apart of. Unfortunately; she covers all of her emotions behind her rage and pain; and even crafting that behind a thin facade to fool her subjects into thinking she’s emotionless. It’s… fascinating; but ultimately unhealthy for her.  
Blue is similar to her, but her grief for Pink’s “shattering” has clouded over her judgement and mind; engulfing her so much that she feels she has no way out, and in her broken ways, she neglects her duties and segregates herself from even the other Diamonds; always on a stretched, breaking thread. With even a slight push, a slight reminder of her loss, she breaks down, let’s everything _drown_ in her sorrow. It was expected; when the news broke to her, that she would rampage; would want answers in the rare-anger she showed. They did not expect tears of joy.  
White, in regards to the other two, was initially hard to pin down. She was direct, emotionless and all-around perfect. But, Steven was the first non-Gem to see her eyes dim with pain; mouth drawn back in a snarl as she whispered with venom as to what her Empire became. As she whispered dreadful truths to the small Diamond-hybrid. As she smiled, small but proud as Steven regaled his day with enthusiasm! As he acted out what had happened; even the most mundane day was a sight to behold in her eyes! And, she never lied. She never had a reason to. She was a mystery tightly wrapped up in _bundles_ of emotionless; that it was a wonder that Steven even managed to get through to her.  
Purple, on the other hand, had a generally negative aura. She didn’t laugh, she didn’t even smile. She was as negative as she had taken to being in the dark; in the rare times Steven could see her in the light; her skin was a lovely shade of boysenberry, while her wavy hair was a lovely shade of mulberry. Her eyes were a light shade of orchid. Steven never could figure out how to make her smile even just slightly. It seemed impossible. But even so, White would tell of times long past to the Gem race; and Steven could just slightly make out a smile on her face. Perhaps he was going about it in the wrong way.  
In contrast; Orange was never without a smile. She had a bounce in her step, and generally dressed so brightly that other Diamonds would sometimes complain about it; but she waved them off with a smile and laughter that touched the high heavens. She was a chipper, but serious Gem; a right terror in the battlefield - and sometimes off it too -, but a sweet Gem nonetheless.  
Black was silent. He was the one who blended so well with shadows that it was often, at times, difficult to separate the two. The one who barely spoke; but carried weight when needed. In most situations; the voice of reason. But, upon opening old wounds; such as their origins, a deadly force to be reckoned with. And when he calms down to his default expression; he’s kind and sorrowful for all his damage. Even if it wasn’t his fault.  
Brown. The baby. The one who is constantly underestimated. The one who strives to be like the rest of their siblings. Not realizing that they already are. They believe that when they are gazed upon; the other Diamonds see _Pink_. It isn’t until Steven opens their eyes, risking Purple’s wrath. The ‘child’, but not. The one who wants to be their best. The one who doesn’t need others validation, but _does_ because to them, _family is everything_. Without their family… they are _nothing_. And no-one can change their mind on that. ~~No matter how wrong their beliefs are.~~  
And although Steven never met them; Golden and Paragon, from the stories that the Diamond’s memories conjured, Steven knew that they weren’t evil. They made choices, ones that ultimately resulted in a massive scale destruction; but doesn’t the entire humanity make choices like that sometimes? And although they’ve never met, Steven can’t help but feel a bit of resentment well up inside himself every time he sees even the slightest bit of sadness cross the Diamond’s faces. It… was as complicated as what he felt with his mother. And although he shouldn’t have to; he felt that it was his responsibility to ‘clean up the mess’. ~~It wasn’t.~~  
So, as he stared at the imposing buildings in front of him; he thought of the various expressions they each had. And vowed to allow each of them to smile, to _laugh_. But, first; he had to survive this damn place. And not allow anyone else to die here either.  
“I can’t believe her!” Pearl shrieked, and Steven thought, vaguely; how Purple had compared her voice to a bird’s, and although he tried not to, he could definitely hear it now. Thanks Purple.  
“Calm down, Pearl. She’s trying to help us.” Garnet’s impressive voice carried, and Steven flinched as it echoed.  
_“Might be a good idea to be a bit quieter.”_ Purple’s passive voice spoke, pitched quieter in the hopes that it’d save them more time.  
“Where’s the nearest exit, Purple?” Steven heard Connie whisper, eyes alert and searching constantly. He also saw that the Gems were also searching; even Pearl.  
_“Not too far. You’re near the center, right? Go right about three steps - ok, bad idea, my steps are waaay bigger than yours. Uh, first right that you come across, take it. Unless there’s sounds coming from that direction; go to the left.”_  
“That doesn’t really help… there’s lots of ways to go.” Connie admitted, and Steven heard Purple sigh.  
_“Ok, go immediately in front. If my directions don’t help, run around like headless chickens, we’ll eventually pick you up.”_ Purple’s normally bored voice sounded vaguely panicked, and Steven frowned.  
“What if we’re found?” Amethyst asked, looking a bit concerned.  
_“Run.”_  
“Oh. Ok.”  
_“Anymore - wait… I think we’ve found you.”_  
“Really?! We’ll be leaving this place soon?!”  
_“Yeah, just one moment. Blasted planet is causing some signal interference.”_  
A crash sounded behind them, and Steven felt his blood run cold when he saw pale blue eyes lock with his black ones.  
“Could you get here a bit quicker?” Amethyst yelped, Purple cursing heavily. It was obvious that she saw what was going on.  
_“Run!”_  
“Ne need to tell us twice!” Connie shot back as she started to run, Steven not that far behind her; carrying the communication device to his chest.  
_“You need to get to a clearing so we can get you!”_  
“Uh-huh! No way, not with _that thing_ chasing us we aren’t!” Amethyst snapped back, periodically looking over her shoulder to see if it had gotten lost. It hadn’t.  
_“We can kill it!”_  
“Ok! Uh, where’s the nearest clearing?!” Pearl shouted, Purple quickly giving her the instructions. “We’ll be there soon, so you better take it out quickly!”  
_“Oh, we will.”_ It was surprising to hear White’s voice from Purple’s communicator, even more at the amount of venom coating her words.  
_“Damn. Tone it down a bit, will ya? We got kids here.”_ Purple gently sassed White, who Steven was sure was rolling her eyes.  
_“Little star…”_  
“Yes?”  
_“... don’t die.”_  
And then the communication device cut off. Steven was sure that he could hear White’s enraged scream from where he was, flinching as it seemed to rebound in his head. Oh, that was not a good sign. 


	6. Introductions and... Kidnapping?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for not updating for a bit! There's quite a bit of family drama going on around me, so I wasn't able to get onto this story for a bit! I'm also in the process of writing my own book, so that took some time as well. Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and tell me what you think of it!

“What… are you doing?”   
“Kidnapping you!”   
“What’s… kidnapping? Steven?” 

*

The first time Steven had met the entirety of the Diamonds, he had been amazed at their heights. He knew that Yellow and Blue were tall; but to actually see all of them, in the same place with wildly different heights? It was… scarily breathtaking. He was tempted to back out; just to give himself a breather, then saw Purple; arms crossed over her chest and leaning away from a orange Diamond - who he later learned was the hyperactive one who loved to ‘annoy’ Purple - with Purple’s eyes narrowed towards her; and shockingly being out of the dark which she seemed to adore. He waived for a bit, before mentally saying ‘to hell with it’, running up to her and pulling on the coat she was wearing. He ignored how everyone went quiet, before happily jumping on Purple’s hand, when she saw him and offered it, looking around while Purple casually began talking to a… black Diamond?   
Slowly, conversation picked back up, and Steven perked up upon seeing White entering, his friends behind her looking confused and worried. Once he knew that Connie saw him, he waved manically, and she raced to Purple, who knelt down and offered her other hand to Connie; all while not breaking eye contact with Black. While the others just stared at Purple, she straightened up, and brought her hands together, allowing Connie and Steven to converse, the hand that was free from Connie resting on her hip. Throughout the entire exchange, she didn’t stop replying Black, and he didn’t stop speaking her her; barely even batting an eye.   
Steven eventually exhausted everything he thought about to keep the conversation going, looking down as he carefully lowered himself to the side of Purple’s palm. She could easily have three fully grown humans stretched across her entire palm, so he wasn’t worried about space. It was rather nice where he was though.   
“So, uh, you’re all Diamonds?” Amethyst’s voice broke through the conversations, causing all eight of the various Diamonds to look at her.   
“Yes.” Black replied, an elegant eyebrow raised as he stared her down.   
“I’ve only known about four. I didn’t realize there would be more.” Garnet almost muttered, looking uncomfortable, and Steven could almost see the glances towards Blue Diamond.   
“Why wouldn’t there be more? Although what you see here is pretty much all there is left of the Diamonds.” Purple spoke, looking bored and annoyed.   
“There were more?” Amethyst bounced, looking at each of them with weary excitement.   
“Yes…? Is that such a surprise?” Purple turned her entire body to face them, and Steven saw Bismuth tense up, eyes flickering around.   
“Don’t be so tense! It’s not like we’re going to _shatter_ you!” Orange giggled, bouncing around as her frilly dress swayed with her movements.   
“I wouldn’t be so sure…” one of the Gems muttered, and Steven sighed.   
“Come on, guys! They’re nice!” He had to shout down; hands cupping around his mouth.   
He couldn’t see it very well, but he was sure that the Gems were frowning. He looked across at the Diamonds, seeing that although they were immersed in conversation, all of them; apart for Purple and White, snuck glances towards the Gems, eyes swimming with suspicion. Even Orange, who rocked onto her heels and back, was keeping a careful eye on them. He quickly glanced up, seeing Purple’s eyes flicker almost too fast to notice, and grinned. It was good that they were so protective of each other, although he had no idea if that sort of behaviour was normal for them.   
But, it was slightly saddening for him, because he knew that they were suspicious of those he called family; in part because of the way that Homeworld saw Gems, and Diamonds in particular had to act a certain way. His mother couldn’t take it, but he wished that they all left. It would have been easier for them. But, they couldn’t, not if they wanted the entirety of Homeworld after them. And that was just too dangerous. For them and everyone involved. It would have just been easier to stick around, slowly make the Diamonds obsolete, then just up and leave.   
At least that way, the Diamonds wouldn’t be chased to who knew where. That was actually kind of a funny mental thought, but Steven wasn’t sure if they would think the same. He didn’t even know if any of them had the same thoughts, but chose not to ask; how inappropriate would it of him to ask something that personal? So, he kept those types of questions to himself. Unfortunately, it seemed like Purple and White knew when he had those questions; gently prodding him until he spilled everything, and helping him through the mess. For aliens that didn’t understand humanity; they were pretty good at helping him with his feelings and how he should go about things. It was rather suspicious.   
“Perhaps to you, but I doubt they’d be as nice to us.” Bismuth almost muttered, although judging by the fact that Purple had tensed up, Steven knew she heard it. Oops.   
“I will give you my word that no Diamonds here shall shatter you, unless it is a last resort. We are here on Steven’s request, Gemling. Do not make this as difficult as possible.” Purple’s voice sounded like thunder, shaking into each corner of the room. So much, that Steven briefly thought that some of the other Gems would have heard her. But, alas, the room was sound-proof. No-one was going to hear them; even if the Diamonds yelled (which Yellow Diamond seemed to accel at).   
Steven could see the Crystal Gems, his _family_ , shaking as Purple finished her mini-speech. Then again, it probably didn’t help that Purple had turned to fully face them, a glare on her face. She could be scary like that.   
“Purple… you’re scaring them.” Steven heard a quiet voice speak; looking around Purple’s projection as much as he could, only to see Black Diamond, hands clasped on front of his lap, staring at Purple with an blank expression. Even his eyes were carefully blank, not allowing anyone to know what he felt. Steven supposed that Black was very careful with his emotions. Funny, how each Diamond’s powers related to their emotional state.   
“So I am.” Purple’s voice was quieter, and she turned back to him, face as blank as his expression. But, Steven could see that her eyes hid pain beneath her stony exterior. He just couldn’t understand why she was upset.   
After a few moments, Purple set Connie and Steven down, moving closer towards the Diamonds rather then the Crystal Gems; making sure that they wouldn’t feel cornered; but driving herself and her immediate ‘family’ away from them. Steven could only feel a sharp pain radiate through his body, knowing that the divide between them wasn’t right; but he couldn’t figure out a way to bridge it. He didn’t even know if the Crystal Gems wanted to. And it wasn’t fair to try to force it; all that would do was drive them even further away.   
He had to think of _something_.   
“Steven…” He almost missed Amethyst's voice, becoming shocked as she trailed off, looking straight at the Diamonds, a fierce look in her eyes. It was pretty obvious that she was scared as well, but she didn’t seem to care. “Hey! Purple!” She cupped her hands around her mouth, screaming at said Diamond.   
When Purple looked over at her with an annoyed look, Amethyst visually floundered, before straightening up and finding her courage again. “How did you meet Steven?” She asked, not exactly screaming anymore, but keeping her voice loud, probably to allow the Diamonds to clearly hear her question. Purple didn’t verbally respond, but simply blinked a few times; clearly shocked at the question.   
“I… beg your pardon?” She asked, an eyebrow raised as she mentally tried to process Amethyst's question. Said Gem just rolled her eyes, before repeating her question cheerfully. “Well… I - uh… we meet Steven, a while before the drama with Malachite.” Purple spoke quietly, looking distrustfully at Amethyst. Steven almost thought that Amethyst would take her look personally, but was rather surprised when she seemed to shrug it off.   
“Oh. So… uh, you knew about that?” Lapis’ timid voice spoke, and she seemed to squeak when Purple’s attention turned to her. It was strange seeing Lapis the way she was; but then again, she didn’t know Purple like Steven did. She didn’t realise that Purple would rather shatter herself then let one of the others die.   
“Yes.” Purple frowned, looking away, “Although Malachite was a unhealthy Fusion.”   
White moved closer, placing a hand on Purple’s shoulder and giving a small smile that Steven was just able to see. “And, uh, Alexandrite, I believe? Was actually rather healthy although still a little unstable. A shame, she was rather interesting to hear about.”   
“You always like Fusions, White.”   
“What can I say? Gems are full of surprises.”   
“Am I truly meant to be surprised by that answer?” Purple’s voice clearly held her exasperation at White’s words, even as she gave her a look that clearly showed how done she was with her.   
“No.” White just gave a blinding smile back. Steven was just able to see the tale-end of Purple’s rolling eyes.   
It was remarkable how the Crystal Gems had managed to, slowly, release their tension as Amethyst went to random Diamonds and asked questions; hounding after each of them until they all had answered at least one question.   
Sadly, the last question Amethyst had asked was whether any of the Diamonds had fused. Steven never knew that Diamonds could blush. 

*

By the time everyone was comfortable with each others presence, Steven knew that it would be easier for the gap between them to disappear. Even Yellow looked like she was having a bit of fun, however reluctant she looked.   
By the time everyone had finished their talks, the Diamonds had to leave. Although it was saddening, knowing that at least half of the Diamonds had to return to a toxic atmosphere; Steven and the Crystal Gems weren’t ready with a plan Amethyst had hatched. It would be rather interesting to see how the Diamonds would react to being ‘kidnapped’.


	7. Fusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for not updating for so long! I was having trouble with the Kidnapping one (still am actually), but I got an idea, which eventually let to this. It was a bit of an annoyance on how to properly portray Hope Diamond, as he's... himself; but I _think_ I got him.   
>  As usual; please comment what you thought, and happy days!

The massive columns provided nearly-to-no space to hide. They were a beautiful, but rusty, golden colour; rising towards the murky sky, carvings of various; presumably important, Diamonds in different poses. There was writing as well, but Steven couldn’t understand it. Alas, he was only with Garnet and Pearl; and while they were great for helping each other survive, it was rather difficult against a mad Diamond who had absorbed other Diamonds in his insanity. Although Steven himself was part-Diamond, he had no wish to see if Hope Diamond (ha! _Oxy-moron, thanks Connie!_ Steven thought smugly) could absorb him. He already had nightmares of being separated; he didn’t need that to be a reality, thanks.   
But, alas, he turned to Garnet with wide, scared eyes. Hope Diamond had easily chased them around, loud, bellowing laughter echoing from behind them. He had even successfully separated them from the rest of their allies, and Steven knew that the Diamonds ( _Oh stars, Purple was going to be mad_ ) would be the worst off. It had only been… what two hours?, since communication was shut off. Steven could remember the last time the Diamonds had reacted when communication was lost ( _White had some vocals on her, that was for sure_ ). But, since there was no way of knowing how much everyone else was freaking out ( _pretty damn positive that they were freaking out heavily though_ , Steven thought with a grimace), they just had to wait until they were found. Which could honestly take some time.   
“I _know_ you’re here…” Hope’s whispering, filled with playful malice, made Steven’s skin crawl. His voice was always quiet; apart from when he laughed. Then, it echoed much like their pounding footsteps. “Come on out… I _promise_ not to hurt you~”   
Pearl and Garnet’s facial expressions clearly told Steven that they didn’t believe Hope, slowly backing up towards another column. It was difficult to see in front of him, giving their opponent the advantage, but Steven _knew_ he had to hold on. If he didn’t give in, then maybe the others won’t either ( _and he wanted to see Purple smile before he died - she didn’t smile as much as he wished anyway_ ). He was beginning to open his mouth, to do what he didn’t know, when a loud roar of rage caught everyone unaware.   
Steven shrunk even further against the column, a feeling of dread and horror coming upon him. He knew that Hope Diamond did some twisted experiments on the Diamonds he could get his hands on - the Diamond was rather fond of happily recounting _everything_ he had done - and Steven faintly wondered, past the fear and other negative emotions that he couldn’t place, if whatever was there was one such experiment. One of his hands drifted, almost unconsciously, towards his gem; tightly gripping the fabric that rested above it. His throat was parched, had been ever since Hope Diamond let out a sinister-cruel- _evil_ chuckle. He didn’t dare try to swallow the saliva that pooled in his mouth, nervous that the sound would give himself away; the worst thing to happen if he was to defend himself.   
Of course, while he still had his shield, he was totally unprepared to go against a Diamond, especially without knowing where Garnet or Pearl was.   
It would be suicide to go out there. For now at least.   
He was just gathering the courage to bolt away from his column, when the wall that was directly to his back suddenly burst; sending blocks of stone and rotten wood everywhere. Heavy shocks vibrated the floor enough that Steven bounced, pitching forward as two blurry shapes gave deafening roars and snarls of pain. While they were occupied with wrestling each other on the ground, Steven bolted towards the furthest column he could, giving quick glances over his shoulder every few seconds to know how close any of them were.   
Unfortunately, he hadn’t been fully concentrating on where he was going; getting the shock of his life when he turned around, only to find ice-blue eyes staring at him with a demented smirk. He backed up, watching as the deep blue that made up Hope Diamond’s entire body unravelled from his hiding space. Hope had decided to appear in a long two piece suit, coloured close to his skin-tone, with a mockery of a necklace gorged into where it would have hanged if he had been human. The brilliant shine of the Diamond embud in his chest was a marvel to behold; although Steven was far too busy snapping his head back-and-forth to find an escape. Before his brain could catch up ( _‘Oh, stars this is bad! Thisisbad, thisisbad… what do I do? WhatdoIdo?! Gogogogogo!’_ ) Hope Diamond snatched him up, - he could feel the air rushing around his ears and legs, the only parts that weren’t engulfed by the Diamond’s hands - bringing him towards his face, the demented smirk widening on his left side. Steven’s thoughts froze, just as his body had; in the face of the nightmare, completely enthralled on the behemoth in front of him.   
“So… what are you~? You don’t _look_ like a Gem…?” Hope mused out loud, Steven shivering at the broken look in his eyes. He couldn’t fully tell what emotions were all in there, only getting enough time to really identify insanity and a blank… numb? Look. His nails, as short as they were, dug into the faux skin; and if it had been real, blood would have pooled from how deep he managed to dig into the insane Diamond’s flesh.   
The Diamond only gave a chilling laugh.   
“Aw. Were you hoping for me to let you go? Poor ‘ittle thing…” Hope Diamond cooed, bringing Steven even closer towards him.   
Steven could feel his heart beating away in his chest, a fluttering but high tempo that he was almost sure Hope Diamond could hear. His mouth was dry, the saliva pooling from before evaporated without a trace. He had been shaking just a few moments before, but his body had frozen when he was drawn closer to the mouth; one that Steven could just spy sharp teeth peeking out. And although his eyes were mesmerized, his nails dug deeper, creating crescent moon shapes where they had been. He could feel some sort of liquid pushing against the flesh that hid behind his nails.   
Hope Diamond only let out another laugh; showing off his teeth as Steven gulped. His mind had shut down. Nothing, not even the fight still on-going managed to pierce the fog that overcame his mind. And, although his mind was screaming in general horror and his nails dug deeper - his body began to gradually relax.   
His eyes closed, vivid images of his friends - his _family_ \- passed through his mind as quick as a whip; stills of the Crystal Gems teaching the Diamonds of Earth’s admittedly weird culture, Purple and White’s easily-seen awkwardness ( _‘She looked nice in the sunlight though - brightening her eyes and allowing me to see her emotions… I’m going to miss her…’_ he briefly thought, a tear slipping from his eye). Even Blue and Yellow being drawn into a splashing match with Orange and Alexandrite ( _‘That… was a weird day…’_ ). How the Diamonds had reacted to food (Steven was surprised to see Purple’s disgusted face as Orange shoved meal after meal down her throat, giving small hums and deep sighs as she found something she liked), how Black had taught Connie and him to divert attention from themselves ( _Always shrinking down and managing to scare them in the process_ ), how Steven’s Dad had reacted to the Diamonds and their reactions ( _Orange giving such a loud squeal that Steven was sure could have manage to crack a Gem_ ) and the various times they had stayed during the night ( _the amount of times Steven had stumbled out of his bed to go to the bathroom; only to be scared by a Diamond’s eyes following him had been more than he liked. Brown was the main offender, actually_ ).  
He heard something click, and air moved past him; getting colder and colder as his imagination happily filled the blanks for him. His body had just passed the teeth (he could feel something… saliva? Ew, dripping down his back, drenching his shirt and making it stick uncomfortably on his skin), when he - and the hand - suddenly froze. Air rushed around him, plummeting his body temperature…   
And then…   
His feet, soon followed by his knees and palms, slammed onto a slippery surface, covered in some sort of liquid. His eyes snapped open, being greeted to _blue_ , as he struggled to get his baring.   
“Come get him.” Steven briefly wondered how Hope was able to talk, before immediately trying to find a way to force himself out.   
It was harder than it seemed; as Hope Diamond seemed to begin to move around, rocking and making Steven jerk around; leaving him to clutch at anything he could while desperately trying to keep away from the long drop that seemed to be the only way to leave. Hope had tilted his head back many times; leaving Steven to claw at the - tongue? - flesh-like substances in a way to keep himself away from it, letting out cries of shock-horror- _fear_ every time he came close to the drop.   
“Help!” He screamed, hoping against all hope that someone would.   
“You here that~? You’re little _friend_ is in distress~. My, oh my, what shall you do~?” Hope laughed cruelly, his hand moving towards his mouth to cut off the escape before Steven could even force himself onto his knees.   
“Give him back!” The voice that replied wasn’t one Steven knew; it was too high pitched to be White, Yellow or Blue; wasn’t chipper like Orange’s, nor as deep as Black’s. Purple was more monotone, and Brown’s voice was quieter than what the mystery Gem could produce. And, it didn’t sound like any of the fusions he had been exposed to. But… still, it seemed… familiar somehow.   
“Why should I do that~? You’re the ones who cheated~!” Hope replied, voice sing-song as he moved once again. Steven could almost see how he danced around his opponent, moving elegantly out of the way of reaching fingers. “You _know_ Fusion is cheating… right?” The Diamond’s voice went deeper, anger seeping into the tone as he began moving more erratically. Steven was thrown from one side to the other, leaving almost no room to grab hold of _anything_.   
“Urgh! Just give him _back_!” The mystery fusion screamed, pain-and-fear easily heard in their voice.   
“ ** _And why should I do that?_** ” At Hope’s voice, Steven froze, quickly glancing around as he racked his mind on what to do; becoming desperate as his mind turned up blank again and again and againandagainandagainand-!   
“ _Because we said so._ ”   
Before Steven knew it, the blue was replaced by the earthy-gold of the wide room that he had been in. He was laying on his back, staring at the murky sky with wide, surprised eyes. It had happened faster than he could have ever followed; a quick jab into Hope’s mouth and dragging him back out; to _safety_.   
Steven could finally feel his heart beginning to slow down, the buzzing in his veins slowing down and leaving him feeling light-headed and emotional. As he laid there, slowly beginning to reboot from the terror; he lazily looked around, only to find he was on palms that shifted through different colours, hitting the light to reveal teals, blues, light greens and a hint of deep purple underneath it all. _He had never seen something quite so beautiful._   
“-ven! Steven! _Steven!_ ” And, suddenly; he was thrown back into sounds-and-growls-and- _screams_. Something was rocking him violently, a blurry figure he could almost recognise snapped into focus; revealing Connie, frantic-and-fearful. He bolted up, grabbing onto Connie’s shoulders as he whirled around, trying to find the Diamond that had placed him in his mouth.   
Hope Diamond was crumbled against a wall, deep cracks originating from where he had slammed against the hard surface branching out like twisted wings. As he watched, the Diamond’s hands twitched, before his head slowly tilted up; a larger smirk playing against his lips.   
“Oh, oh, oh. You did _not_ like that I had him… interesting.” Hope snickered, pure joy coming over his face as he stared straight at him - no _them_. “I did hope we’d be able to _play_ …”   
Steven looked upwards, to the Gem that had rescued him; growing awed and surprised at the Gem that innocently rested upon her forehead. He was positive that if he hadn’t been cradled between her - their? - hands, he would have seen a familiar Gem on the fusion - that was the only thing she - _they_ \- could be.   
“... After all, we _did_ miss each other… right? I wonder how much despair your… _“parents”_ are in.”   
“ _Less than what you’ll be in if you don’t_ ** _leave_** _._ ” The fusion replied, Steven closing his eyes to better hear their music; soft and sweet, but there were parts where their frustration leaked, causing the music to scratch and skip like the record’s Steven’s father had shown him before, before calming down into the soft and melodic sound that was so _familiar_.   
It was no wonder that White and Purple were practically perfect; even _fused_.   
“Haa… very well, _Your Highness_. We… shall meet once again.” Hope gave a smirk, bowing towards White-and-Purple mockingly, holding the position for one-two seconds, before straightening. His smirk was immediately wiped off, noticing the predatory smile that covered White-and-Purple’s fusion.   
“ _We look forward to dancing with you._ ” Rage burned in their eyes, causing Hope to give a huff, before sinking down, flowing through the gapes that were created, when the _other_ fusion had crashed into the room.   
It was only then, that the fusion - who Steven still didn’t know the name of - turned around, revealing two large Gems, one a deep green and familiar Gemstones proudly gleaming on their chest… and a rusty-brown one, smaller than their companion, but having a Gem that was centred on their neck. Steven didn’t realise they had another, until they moved closer to White-and-Purple, a Gem adorned on their left hand.   
He stared, until, with blinding lights; the Diamonds he knew where returned to him. He was still curled up in Purple’s arms as White-and-Purple became White and Purple.   
“Who… were they?”   
Smiles of relief was all that answered him. 


	8. Iris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When they opened their eyes... they never expected to back _here_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! So, this was actually kinda easy to do? As you will notice, this chapter is heavily connected to the previous; but also name-drops the Fusions from last chapter as well.  
> Admittedly, I don't know if I had correctly portrayed the fusion as I wished. If any of the names confuse you, hit me up with a comment; I'll explain.  
> Well, onto the story!

The first time she (they? I?) came into existence, it was still on the paradise that their (her? Mine?) components came from. The view from where they (after all, they _were_ two… weren’t they?) had formed gave way to shining and shimmering waters that sparkled with the sun-and-moon that hung above, like serene Gods watching over them. Their eyes were drawn downward, seeing the towers, glittering gold and reflecting the calm onto the waters.  
They walked forward, leaning against the cool railing that served as a barricade to the steep fall; looking overboard. Here, the waters slapped against the metal that created the towers, sea foam flying upwards each time a wave lashed against the metal. There were words and depictions on the metal, too far away to truly tell what they were about. _‘Why would there be writing and depictions on the outside walls and not on the inside? Was the waves originally smaller? Who did it?_ **_Why_  ** _?’_ The thoughts and questions slowly whirled around their conjoined minds; but where panic should have been, there was only curiosity and wonder. They had nothing to be weary of. Why should they be?  
(They later regretted that; forming while battling that - that _thing_. The calm always came before a storm.)  
They hadn’t formed again, after leaving the burning paradise they knew as _home_.  
So, when they finally opened their eyes to a familiar-but-not place, they didn’t initially understand. Rubble, coloured a rusty gold ( _Familiar… but from where?_ ) coated the floor, piling up everywhere as far as their four eyes could see. They debated using their arms ( _four was useful in that regard_ ) to clearing what they could; but the heavy feeling, sitting hot and heavy - but familiar in a way they couldn’t understand - in the place their gut would be, didn’t give the illusion of having the time to do so. So, they set out in a heavy, but steady jog; letting their emotions draw them to where they needed to be.  
They just didn’t expect _him_ to be there.  
“Give him back!” A scream tore their eyes from _him,_  only to find a darkened-brown Diamond, one that when they didn’t recognise at first, standing with… brown - almost _black_ \- liquid falling down their right side. A hand, already dirty with handling the wound, was pressed against it, although the other two were held; outstretched and fingers as wide as they would go, mouth open and eyes reflecting pure _desperation_. They looked… _‘pathetic’_ , but only pity could be brought forward. _He_ would decimate them.  
“You…” The comparatively quieter voice came just from their right foot, causing them to look down. One of their hands was resting against the crumbling wall, careful not to put too much pressure on it. They didn’t know why.  
“Uh…” A smaller one, right next to the… gem, wasn’t she? Interesting…  
“You’re a Diamond, right?!” At the the question, they gave a robotic nod; staring down passively as they ignored the way the ignored Diamond begged-and-pleaded. Why should they care? ( _Then why did it hurt their chest at their line of thinking?_ )  
“I’m Garnet!” The Gem ( _Where had they heard that? Garnet… familiar… but why?_ ) yelled, chest puffing with the breaths she took. She completely ignored the looks she was getting from the rest of her little entourage. “Do you remember me?”  
They blinked, now that was a curious question to ask. Of course, they were tempted to say ‘no’, after all, they had no memory of this strange gem, no way - wait…  
And memories - of said Gem - _no Permafusion_ \- flooded their mind, swirling around and picking-and-slamming-and- _assaulting_ their minds as they remembered… ( _how could they forget? After so long in silence; they now had Pink-no_ **_Steven_ ** _to look after._ ) They crashed-but-didn’t against the wall, one set of hands cradling their head and the other pressing against their stomach; hoping the sensation would ground them.  
“Uh… Garnet? Did… did we break-?” The little one, _Amethyst_ , spoke; her eyes wide in fear-and-horror.  
“No. No, it’s fine, Amethyst. They… just need some time.” The elegant one - _Pearl_ , always with her Diamond, spoke up; wringing her hands as she threw glances towards where the two Diamonds had erupted into a fight.  
After giving a critical eye, looking around for the small silhouette that would betray Steven’s location ( _a handy trick to find him in that ridiculous game_ )... only finding nothing. _‘Either he got better…’_ They thought, eyes narrowing as they scanned once again; fear-anger- _rage_ gripping them as they found nothing… _again_.  
“Just give him **back**!” Orange-and-Black screamed, their unique black fire erupting from them, scampering around them to engulf the entire half of the room. Heat rose off from the places the fire greedily stuck to, sinking deep into metal, hissing and spitting against it.  
Hope, even the name filled them with infallible _rage_ , looked unamused; carelessly walking forward two steps. He stopped, eyes narrowing as he took in the injured Black-and-Orange. “ ** _And why should I do that?_ ** ” He growled, glaring down.  
_‘How_ **_dare_ ** _he…?’_ Any other thought was quickly wiped away, rage making her-mine-their colours turn from their standard purple to a red-with-purple. They didn’t think, rising above the rubble as they began to move towards the Diamonds. When Hope raised a hand, a gleeful-sadistic- _horrifying_ smile twisting his features… they broke into a run, sliding in front of the smaller Diamond and snatching the hand out of the air.  
“ _Because we said so._ ” They whispered, using the surprise of their appearance to snag his other hand, gripping tightly enough that they were sure that if the _monster_ had any bones - they would have snapped long ago. They imagined giving justice to their parents ( _the screams loud enough to pierce through the darkness - oh, how it hurt to hear them cry-and-rage-and-_ ** _scream_** _. But, not, it wasn’t enough; was_ **_neverenough, hehastodie, hastodie… HASTODIE!_ ** ’  
The only thing stopping them was the small spark of Diamond inside his mouth.  
Their eyes met, Hope’s gleeful arrogance slowly fading to shock and horror, as her colour returned to it’s deep purple. Giving a soft smile… she jammed a free hand into the tightly closed mouth; liquid breaking free as she didn’t stop to flinch. She kicked him into the wall after quickly securing the Hybrid-Diamond, feeling his teeth try to clamp down as he crashed into the wall, creating a loud bang; then laying there.  
As Black-and-Orange screamed, a hand around her waist dragging her away from him ( _seeing, with grim satisfaction, that his jaw hung loose after Steven’s rescue_ ), they ignored it. He was never that easy to defeat.  
So, they ignored the sounds around them, and even on the palm on one of their hands; keeping their eyes trained on the thing before them.  
Their fears were proven correct when he moved.  
“Oh, oh, oh. You did _not_ like that I had him… interesting.” He spoke, venom and interest coating his tone. Their hands itched to cover the younglings in their hands, but they resisted the urge. They didn’t want to accidentally cause them to be crushed.  
“I did hope we’d be able to _play_ …” They scoffed at his words, after all; what he thought of playing didn’t match up with theirs. ( _Not that they’d allow him to get to Steven again. They’d shatter the ones responsible._ )  
“... After all, we _did_ miss each other… right? I wonder how much despair your… _“parents”_ are in.” Their body recoiled at the mention of their parents, hiss escaping through their teeth as they stared him down. Oh, how they wanted to punch him into another wall…  
“ _Less than what you’ll be in if you don’t_ **_leave_** _._ ” They allowed some of their fury to leak into their voice, giving a instinctive warning towards him. If push came to shove, they’d fight. There was no doubt about it. ( _It didn’t matter if they were hoping the murderer would attack them; they needed to protect Steven first._ )  
“Haa… very well, _Your Highness_. We… shall meet once again.” Their lips twisted into a smirk, Purple’s eyes growing half-lidded as they stared at him. But, the rage still burned.  
“ _We look forward to dancing with you._ ” They were sure that Hope got the underlining warning, judging by the fact his eyes widened. He gave a wobbly huff, before sinking away.  
The rage that had gripped them from sighting him evaporated; leaving them feeling hollow and tired. Just briefly, they mused if they weren’t due a nap. When Orange-and-Black moved closer to them; soft smiles on their faces and relief in their eyes, they knew they did what needed to be done.  
As a blinding light signaled the fusion ( _Marigold, I believe they named themselves’_ ) separated into Orange and Black, they gave a nod towards them. When the arm still around their waist moved away, coming to their right, they were allowed to see Green; the same relief painting her features as well. She broke apart, Blue taking a step towards them, her downturned, watery eyes fixated straight at the forms in their hands.  
With only a moment of hesitance, _they didn’t know when they’d be called up again_ , they let go. Their body grew light, and the darkness invaded their vision; but they went willingly. After all; they had new memories to think on.  
That’s all they could ever ask for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an edit: but, I'm serious on this guys. I know that a lot of have read this story, but if you want to give me an idea or just comment a 'cool', you're fine to. I don't mind.   
> But, if you keep quiet, I'm going to feel like this series isn't going to work out. And, I'm unfortunately serious about this. I'm not a mind-reader, if you like it, _please_ tell me. If you don't, _tell_ me. If you have problems with it, again, _tell_ me. As I stated before, I'm not a mind-reader, so I don't know how much you like it, or if you have ideas you'll like the share.   
>  If you keep quiet, even with other stories, the authors are going to feel like they've wasted their time. Kudos and likes are good, but if you don't _tell_ the authors, how are we going to know?   
>  If we're to continue, there _needs_ to be a line of communication between readers and authors. And, I'm sorry, but if there isn't, then eventually the fanfics you like will stop. After all, we aren't mind-readers. We don't know what you, as the readers, liked or disliked. Tell us. Just, be civil and not attack us.   
>  That's literally it.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: So, that's the end. If you wish for more on this AU, please, do tell me! I would not mind explaining if something does not make sense!  
> Edit #2: Ok, so I'm going to be doing more on this. I wasn't expecting to, but I got a burst of inspiration. So... I have no clue how long it'll be, but everything here will be oneshots; but they're all connected.


End file.
